Oil saver



Nov. 25, 1930. l B. P. HOFFMAN ET AL 1,782,851

OIL SAVER Filed Dec. 18, 1926 2 Sheets-Shet 1 Nov 25, 1930. B. P. HOFFMAN ET AL 1,782,851

OIL SAVER v Filed Dec. 18, 19 26 2 sheets-sheet z 32 l'ra, 51M

25 -5 of Fig. 3.

Patented Nov. 25, 1930 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

BENJAMIN P. HOFFMANAND AYnRsivi. HOFFMAN, or TULSA, OKIJAHOMAJASSIGNORS TO THE rrrneon DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, or TULSA, OKLAHOMA, A CORPORATION OF OKLAHOMA OIL' SAVER j Application filedflJecember 18, 1926. Serial No.1,55,673.

This invention is a device for saving oil so thatwhen oil has been reached in adeep well and begins to flow the rising of the oil alongand past the polish rod' or drilling 5 cable may be arrested and turned ,into the pipe line, running from the casing head, waste of the .oil being thereby prevented. The invention'has for its object the provision of a structure in which the packing rubbers may be easily reached when renewal or r epairs are necessary and replacement of other-parts may be easily efiected. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings andwill be hereinafter fully set 1 forth.

In the drawings v Figure 1 isa side elevation of a device cmbodying the invention 1 y 7 Fig.2 is an edge elevation of the same;

Fig.3 is a centralvertical transverse sec tion; y

n Fig. 4 is a horizontal section'on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and y y Fig. 5 is a horizontal section onthe line The device includes a lower member which is substantially a sleeve or cylinder 1 adapted to be secured onthe upper side of the casing or well head, and an upper member which is substantially a box 2 secured on the upper end of the lower member. "The lower member isprovided ata point. intermediate its ends with an annular flangefi whereby it may be secured upon a relatively smaller casing or well head and above the said collar or flange 3is equipped with a larger collar or flange 4 whereby it-may be secured upon the upper side or top of a relatively large casing, the lower collar or flange 3 in such event passing into the casing in a well known manner. We also construct these collars 3, 4,

so'that the device may be secured upon heads knownas set screw? headsas well as upon heads known as ratchet heads. be noted that the upper surfaces-of. thecollars are beveled, as at ida-At the-peripheral marginsiof the beveled.v surfaces are lugs 41 which are spaced circumferentially and are adapted to interengage with theratchet for- 6 mation on a ratchet head while the spaces within the chamber at the backs ofthe blocks cable 0r polish rod. By reason of such contact, oil which may be rising through the side of the lower member 1 of the device,

It will between; the lugs provide surfaces for engagement by the set screws ofthe set screw head. Thebody portion of the lower. member 1 is constructed with a cylindrical bore 5through which the polish rod or drilling cable passes and in the top of the said member isan enlarged chamber 6 disposed concentric with the said bore 5 and through thebottom of which the bore opens. Within the chamber 6 at opposite sides of the center thereofare located rubber packers 7 having semircircular grooves 8 in theiropposed faces whereby they may fitaround the polish. rod :or; drilling cable, metallic followers 9 being disposed 7 whereby to support the blocks and permit them to be adjusted close to the cable or rod in order to take up wear withoutibeing subjected to penetration from the pressure screws 10 which are mounted inthe sides ofth e member 1: at'the ends of the chamber 6 and bear against. the outer faces ofthe followers 9, as shown andas willbeunderstood. These adjusting screws maybe engaged. at their outer ends with any convenient form of turning tool, and it will be understood that. by

slightly turningthese screws the packers 7 may be adJusted from time to time so as to maintain the desired contact with the drilling bore 5will be checked and be held in the casing instead of flowing. up alongthe cable 5 so that loss of the oil willxbe prevented. One

which side, for convenience, will be termed the front, is of an integral formation so that it is free of joints through which the oil might leak, but in order to permit access to the. packing chamber 6,'the back of the device is split or slotted, as indicated at 11, and a closing or filler bar 12 isfitted tightly in the split or slot inbreak-joint relation to.

the packers so as to bridge the space between the opposed inner faces of the packers and thereby avoid leakageof the oil as well asto facilitate access to the packers when necessary. This bar 12 extends the full length of the lower member of the device and is, hingedly secured therein at its lower end by 1 9 a hinge bolt, indicated at 13. The bar conforms to the contour of the member 1 and at its upper end is locked in place by a bolt 14 inserted through openings provided therefor in the end of the bar and in the side portions of the member 1. This bolt is clearly shown in Fig. 5. Below the chamber 6, the bar 12 is formed with offsets 42 which extend under the packing rubbers and prevent the ends of the rubbers spreading into the bore '5 and thereby hastening disintegration.

At its upper extremity, the lower member 1 of the saver is provided with lateral lugs 15 mating with corresponding lugs 16 on the lower end of the upper member or box 2 and receiving bolts 17 whereby the upper member may be rigidly secured upon the lower member. The lugs 16 are formed at the lower end of the upper box-like member 2 which lower end, as shown at 18, conforms to the outline of the top of the lower member 1 and rests flat on said member, as shown-in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The upper member or box 2 is provided with central openings 19 and 20 in its bottom and top, respectively, which aline with the bore 5 of the lower member so that a continuous passage for the polish rod or drilling cable is provided, and the top of the box is constructed with upwardly extending lugs or brackets 21 providing bearings for guide rollers 22 between which the cable or rod plays. These guide rollers are carried on. bolts or spindles 23 removably fitted through the bearing brackets or lugs and the brackets are not seated in deep recesses but are readily accessible so that, if the rollers should wear excessively or choke through an accumulation of sand or other matter, they may be removed and the proper repairs or cleaning effected without removing the saver from the cable or rod. The main portion of the box is hollow whereby to provide a packer chamber 24 within which are fitted the rubber blocks or packers 25 which are of the same form as the packers 7 previously described but have a greater vertical extent. The followers 26 are metallic plates provided on their outer sides with overhanging forks or yokes .27 whereby they may be removably engaged with the heads 28 of the adjusting screws or bolts 29. By properly turning the bolts, the followers may be adjusted so as to maintain the desired engagement of the packers with the cable or polish rod. The back of the box 2 is slotted or split, as indicated at 30, in the same manner as the lower member of the device is split and a filler bar 31 is fitted in the split or slot and secured therein by long bolts 32 which are inserted through the rear wall of the box adjacent the upper and lower ends thereof and through the corresponding portions of the bar 31, as will be understood. This bar 31 is in breakjoint relation to the packers and thereby bridges the space between theopposed faces of the packers 25, as shown in Fig. 4, so that leakage of the oil will be avoided, and it is provided along both edge portions with off sets 43 corresponding to the offsets 42 previously mentioned. the upper packers at both ends and it will be noted, upon reference to 'Fig. 3, that the lower offsets 43 cooperate with the offsets 42 in preventing deformation of the lower packers 7. The front 33 of the box is removable as an entirety so that it constitutes a door and is normally held in place by bolts .inserted through its corners and through connection with the accompanying drawings, '2'

it will be seen that we have provided an exceedingly simple, compact and eficient device whereby waste of oil will be avoided. Repairs or renewals may be very easily made without removing the device from the casing or from the drilling cable or polish rod. If, for any reason, it should be necessary to remove either the upper or the lower member of the saver from the cable, the bar 12 or 31, as the case may be, is withdrawn and the bolts 17 removed, whereupon either the upper or the lower member may be removed from the cable without requiring disengagement of the other member from the cable and, of course, the removed part may be reengaged around the cable by a reverse series of steps or a new member placed in position without disturbing the member which was not removed. The packers are all very completely and effectually housed and supported so that they will be subjected to wear only through their engagement with the polish rod or drilling cable and frequent renewal of the packers will, therefore, not be necessary.

Having thus described the invent-ion, we claim:

1. An oil saver comprising a box-like body, packer blocks fitted in the body at opposite sides of the center thereof, means for adpusting the packers to compensate for wear, the body being slotted vertically in one side with the packer blocks extending partially across the slot from opposite sides thereof, and a closing bar removably secured in the slot in break-joint relation to the packers, and bridging the space between the inner ends of the packer blocks.

2. An oil saver comprising a box-like body, packer blocks fitted in the body at opposite sides of the center thereof, means in the ends These offsets support of the packer blocks at the ends thereof prevent deformation.

of the body for adjusting the packer blocks to compensate for wear, the body being slotted vertically in one side with the sides of the slot in brea-k joint relation to the inner ends of the packer blocks, anda closing bar reniovably secured in the slot and bridging the space between the inner ends of the packer blocks, said bar having offsets at its end portions projecting across the top and bottom to In testimony whereof We affix our signatures.

BENJAMIN P. HOFFMAN. [L. 8.] AYERS M. HOFFMAN. [Ls] 

